Fanning the sparks
by FelSpite
Summary: The 100 years of war in the world of avatar are over, but there are some other forces, which are anything but satisfied with the result. Old plans are merely adjusted, orders are given and the great game goes on. It's up to the supposed figures this time, will they be played by given rules or will try to alter them... (some technical details may be viewed in my profile)
1. Chapter 1

Darkness was slow to release her, but it had to happen anyway. Azula realized that her sleep was over, but still waited some time, before opening her eyes. It was better this way – even a few moments between a night, full of nightmares and yet another gloomy day, full of hallucinations, were worth it. And if she had some luck, darkness could return, granting her a few hours of dreamless slumber. But not this time.

"Welcome back to the material world, princess" - said some calm and soft voice, fully waking her. "Not these freaks again…" she started to lament, but it definitely was not the case. This time she found herself on a bed in some weird little cave room dimly lightened by a few strange glowing crystals, furs as a door, and other freak in a hooded gray robe and a mask covering the whole face.

"Just great" she turned herself into a more comfortable position, not even bothering with rising up "Yet another shitty Hallucination to remind me of my miserable past and present. Just who the fuck are you though? I don't really remember anyone like you – some collective image perhaps? "

"I am a mere ally of Your Highness, who implemented Your escape from the place where You were imprisoned"

"Really? I will even play along, as it's good to have a change of scene for once… And I definitely have nothing to lose. So, do you even have a name?"

"Kelmar Ulgarde at Your service. But You may call me just Kel or anything else You find appropriate."

"I will call you freak then" Azula smirked.

"As You wish" man bowed slightly.

"Yeah, sure. So tell me more about my "escape", i desperately want to know more about it."

"Well, the most difficult part was a search of the exact location. Especially without getting any unnecessary attention. It took me almost seven weeks. The rest was rather easy – I hired a few thugs as backup and distraction and we infiltrated the building. We were spotted though, and some guards were foolish enough to interfere, but there weren't many of them and they couldn't really do anything anyway…"

"Stop here for a bit – are these "thugs" still around? And what exactly do they know about all of it?" Azula's mood actually began to improve. For once, all this mind games crap was more like some fairy tale, which, while still being stupid, definitely had some advantages over her "daily routine" or a dreamless slumber. _"maybe madness isn't that bad after all"_ she thought.

"No. Such people are obviously not to be trusted, so we parted our ways right after I paid them. All they knew, is that I needed to get someone important for me out of that building and was ready to pay for their assistance." Man stopped this time, waiting for further questions.

"Was it really necessary to use them in a first place then?"

"When i mentioned their distraction purpose, it wasn't about distracting anyone in that building. By simply being there, they provided us with a good fake lead - for any search parties, which would be after us. They would be most likely captured in the end, but any time wasted on the search or getting any information out of them, will work in our favor. Even if we fully exclude anything about keeping my word - a mere sum of gold is definitely worth it"

"Hm, such approach is actually convincing. But there still are a few more important things – how long ago did it all happen, where exactly are we now, and, most importantly, why i don't remember anything of it?" Perhaps it was a bit of a rush – to shatter this illusion with all the incoherence right now, but it was still necessary and better done sooner than later.

"We left that building about 30 hours ago, and You were unconscious at that point, due to some special medicine used by the "personnel". Among other properties it slows most body processes and makes some of your latest memories hazy and more difficult to recall. You will most likely remember anything amiss in a day or two." Man stopped for a few seconds, waiting for possible questions, and than continued "This place was initially just another nondescript cave, located on one of the small uninhabited islands of the fire nation. I spent 2 weeks to turn it into something more suited for our purposes." It actually began to look as some kind of a lesson, like in the fire nation academy for girls… how long ago was it actually? …Irrelevant though.

"So, can you at least show me around?" As they obviously should be in her cell, it all will end right now…

"Sure" He actually moved the door-hide away. "Here is a living room"

Azula stood up with a slight bewilderment and made a few steps to the exit, to get a better view. There was a round room, about ten meters in diameter and four in height with a table in a middle, surrounded by two armchairs and a couch. Lack of windows, rough stone walls and the same crystals as a dim light source showed, that indeed, it most likely was a cave. Or some kind of an earthbending trick…

"Lack of furniture is a necessary compromise, and I believe it is still enough to feel comfortable." He moved to one of the light-crystals and, with a few hand manipulations, light in the room changed to a much more bright one. Four more hide-doors became clearly visible and some kind of halberd on the wall as well. "Exit is there" man said while pointing in a corresponding direction. "To its left lies currently unfinished room, then mine, then kitchen and last one is bathroom with a small pool. I have actually heated a water there and prepared a few sets of clothes, just in case. Unfortunately there was nothing really appropriate for a princess, but I have chosen the best available. I can also offer light breakfast with tea or some wine if you wish so. "

"Tea will do." The situation was becoming more surreal with each passing moment, but really, wasn't it something to be expected? Not that she liked tea anyway, more the opposite, but it helped to clear the thoughts, and, if by some weird feint of fate, everything around was real, she needed it. Having a refreshing bath looked like a really good idea too, be it some kind of dream or not. Not like it would change anything to worse at this point at least. "I expect not to be disturbed, unless I specifically call for something, am I clear?"

"As You wish." Man bowed to her once again, and moved to the room he labeled as a kitchen. For a moment she tried to consider any other options, but quickly decided against it. Why not enjoy something pleasant, while it lasts?

Bath itself, most likely made by using already presented hole as a base, was rather big, about 5 meters in diameter. Small cave spring as a water source and a drainage was actually to be expected, but a big mirror on one of the walls and an actual toilet with a few hides to cover it from the rest of the room surely looked weird. Clothes mentioned by this creep were actually present in a few piles nearby. More or less appropriate for a noblewoman, so will do…

Hot water was definitely refreshing. She really missed something like that for a long time, and the weird circumstances hardly mattered anymore. She spend a few minutes relaxing, but then her mind reminded her, that it actually wasn't that simple and easy. She still knew nothing about this man, his trustworthiness, but the probability of being inside a dream or illusion was decreasing and it was just great. In the end, even it's all some kind of a scheme, she was a master at such games and would get an edge at some point. Right now it was a good opportunity to decide which questions to ask next, and how to use a whole situation to her best advantage.

Twenty minutes later, when she left a bathroom fully dressed, man calmly waited for her sitting in one of the chairs. He filled two cups from a steaming teapot, while putting some kind of a straw into his. Azula sat into a second chair looking at his actions with a bit of a pure curiosity.

"Well, I guess, I have to thank you for the hospitality." She portrayed a well trained mask of light satisfaction on her face with these words. "But, before we move into an actual business, I have one more little request. I would really like to see your face, if it isn't some kind of a important secret of course."

"There is no secret for Your Highness in my appearance, but I have to warn you, that my face looks rather unpleasant at this moment" he said without any pause or visible hesitation.

"Oh, there is no problem here. I am free from such prejudices." It was actually important at this point. Would he actually comply or will present any other excuse? It could give some useful leads for the future..

"As You wish." He threw back his hood and slowly began to remove his mask, which actually looked like some kind of a hard leather helmet, covering his whole head and a neck. For some reason his movements were slow and somehow gentle so the procedure took a few minutes, while Azula drank tea and ate some snacks from her plate. But, when the mask was finally removed, she immediately realized the concern behind it. He actually looked quite young, maybe a year or two older than her hated brother, and the upper half of his face looked perfectly normal, except the total lack of any hair, but the lower part was burned so severely that it looked like one big blackened scar. Well, she have seen cripples before, but people with burns of such degree were usually dead, unconscious or totally unable to do anything substantial without moaning from the pain. Calling him a freak before, looked now like an extremely unwise decision, and a quick fix was needed to avoid any further antagonizing at this stage.

"I have to apologize for my rudeness. While that does not fully excuse my words, I was slightly stressed in the wake of all the recent events and associated you with one of my jailers first." When did she tried to be polite last time? It should have been quite a time ago, as politeness and weakness were usually closely associated with each other, and avoiding any weaknesses was always one of her life goals.

"I humbly accept your apology, but have to mention that I was never offended in the first place. It is quite an obvious fact right now, after all. I have to apologize myself though, as it's rather necessary to tend my wounds whenever the mask is removed." After these words, he wiped his face with a handkerchief and began to spread a thin layer of some ointment, taken from one of the many pockets of his robe. At this point it became clear to her, that he could fully control his emotions too and likely was never bothered by her rude comment in the first place. It was a good sign, as it allowed her to focus on more relevant things, outright ignoring all the husk. Azula waited a few more minutes before a mask was dressed again. Yes, it surely was better this way.

"Let us move to a more important things then. I am interested in your agenda right now. Most importantly why do you help me, what do you want for yourself and whom do you represent in your actions."

"My goal is to assist you in becoming a Firelord. I do not represent a fire nation, earth kingdom, water tribes or any other group associated with any of them. Concerning my own goals… I have a certain enemy, which I have close to zero chances against, and having the might of fire nation, will surely change a lot in this regard." Having said that, he began to drink his tea through a straw.

"Well, this explains something at least." Azula did not even need to portray surprise, as it was both genuine and helpful now. "But still looks highly bizarre. Why me of all people? It would be more understandable would you be one of my father's mooks, bound to my cause by some loyalty and fear to lose their titles, ranks, money and so forth. I would like to hear a more detailed explanation if possible." Sometimes a direct approach was the most simple solution and she felt that it was the case right now.

"As you wish, but the explanation will take some time, so in case if my words will be offending to you in any way, you can interrupt me at any point." He waited a few moment and then continued "Fire nation is obviously the most powerful by a substantial margin, so any other may be simply ignored. The most efficient way to address my problems is to make a proper agreement with the only figure which makes all the important decisions – the Firelord. The first and seemingly the most simple and obvious option would be addressing your brother, but he simply is a traitorous scum and an avatar's associate, so even if we ignore any other circumstance, he is simply out of the question."

It was one of these rare moments when someone rated her brother as lowly, as he actually deserved, and it was really pleasant to hear. This strange man, was his name Kel-something?, continued his explanation in the meantime. "My second option was to approach any of the generals or nobles or even a certain group of them. Some of them surely have high ambitions and some substantial powerbase to back it up, but well, their lack of initiative and flexibility brings it back to zero. Sure, they may execute orders given to them in their strict area of competence, but nothing more. The most thing I could achieve with it would be a civil war, which is the least thing we need. So we move to an actual choice – between you and your father, former Firelord Ozai. And while my final decision should be rather obvious at this point, I think I still have explain all the reasons behind it "

Azula actually felt as if her heart stopped for a few moments when she heard it. Not only has someone compared her with her father, like it was the most trivial thing to do, but has chosen her over him? There should be something really specific, what kind of dream would it be otherwise? And as she simply waited, frozen in shock and unable to say anything, he continued his explanation with the same calm and monotonous tone. "The first factor was a location. Your father is currently held at the boiling rock, and while the most radical solutions like a frontal assault, are still possible, even the least important part could cost a lot of time for preparations and bring a lot of potential risks. The second factor was a personal power. You are considered as a prodigy of firebending even by your enemies, so as your father was ahead in terms of pure power, it was an actual tie, until his bending was somehow taken away by avatar in the end of a decisive battle. There are possibilities to avert it, but I am not sure that it lies within my powers. The third factor was an ability to hear viable arguments of others, even if they contradict with your beliefs, and use it to your advantage. With all the info I gathered, I believe that your father wouldn't even want to hear any words from me, a simple nobody in his eyes, not to mention following them in any way. And the last and most important factor was about summarizing general competence and public support. It is widely believed that the war was lost through your father's mistakes, and I tend to agree with it. He had all the factors on his side, but discarded most of them for the sake of personal glory, and it backfired in the end. You, on the other side, had actually defeated the avatar once and conquered the city of Ba Sing Se without any bloodshed. This alone is enough to make a choice in your favor."

Azula could only sit, completely speechless, as with a few arguments, her entire life was shattered into pieces once again and then arranged into a new order. It were things, she simply couldn't rationally analyze yet, as it brought back the feelings of helplessness and loss of control, which she hated the most of all. There was a proven way to handle it though. She simply had to concentrate on something important, like training or fulfilling any new task… It took her some time and substantial willpower to get back to the conversation again.

"Do you have any plans of action to suggest?" She finally asked.

"Yes. The first part, regarding your immediate safety is complete at this point, so, I believe, we can move onto strategical planning. The most favorable point to set the final part of any plan into action should be in about four months from this point. The general population feelings are mixed right now, as most of them have anticipated victory with all its benefits. Zuko's supporters may be happy with just peace at this point, but soon it will become clear, that not only peace doesn't solve everything by itself, but in contrary creates many problems of its own. Many productions necessary for war would be severely limited or outright closed, and when people will realize, that due to their ruler decisions, there would be a contribution paid to the earth kingdom partially from their pockets, they would became even more discontented. And any decisions regarding the future of the colonies without a fire nation can be a final straw, especially with little help on the matter." He made a few more gulps of tea before continuing.

"Concerning possible allies, I believe that You should have much more relevant information. Good thing is, that many military officers are dissatisfied with all the developments, but Zuko cannot really solve this issue now. As for immediate actions, I think that resting and staying low for a few days may be a good idea. Also, I may offer my services for teaching some really efficient techniques for the manipulation of fire, which may be useful in the nearest future"

"So you claim to be a firebender or a firesage of some sort?" Asked Azula.

"No. There are other ways of bending elements to your will, and mine is usually called wizardry or spellcraft."


	2. Chapter 2

One strike, then another, both followed by a round kick. Petty basic moves. And fire they created was utterly pathetic: gone was most of the power and a blue color, representing her ultimate prowess and determination. The precision was still here, but any firebender suitable for the army would only laugh at the result anyway. In the beginning of her workout, as her current state became clear to Azula, she hoped to achieve at least some progress this day, but all in vain. The events of THAT night and two months of decay have destroyed much more than she thought. She will need months to regain even tiny bits of her previous stature … but why should it stop her right now? Strike, another, kick…

"It surely looks impressive." That was, perhaps, one of the worst interruptions possible. She glared fiercely on the man, who, apparently was watching her for quite some time, unnoticed.

"Don't. You. Dare. To mock me this way! These moves are pathetic and I have done better being 6 years old!"

"I never intended to offend you in any way, but I haven't referred to your moves at all, as I know little about firebending. Your attunement to the fire is really good though." Was there something new in his monotone voice this time, or was it only a wishful thinking? Arrgh, she should concentrate on relevant things, not useless crap!

"Explain yourself. What exactly do you mean by this "attunement"?"

"The term is used to describe a connection to the element, fire in your case. Be it a result of long training, right mindset, specific heritage, or any other means, it is measured by a single scale and can be clearly visible, unless specifically hidden. Very useful for teaching purposes, among other things."

"And how much am I "attuned" in your opinion?" It all was either complete bullshit, or somehow actually useful, even if she haven't understood how exactly right now.

"As I see now, about 80 as current limit, 50 as actually reached and about 20 in current condition."

Azula chuckled a bit. "Excuse me, but I do not see even a tenth part of my power right now, shouldn't your numbers tell us otherwise, if they mean something, off course." It felt good not bothering with hiding sarcasm among other emotions.

"Well, the actual calculations behind these numbers are a bit more complex, but it's not the main point. They do mean a certain multiplier to your power off course, but their main purpose is to determine your ability to learn and use specific techniques, and their general efficiency. Also, it represents your potential with fire on the whole, not limited only by the spiritual ways of firebending."

"Hmm, that surely sounds interesting, but I would like to see some kind of a practical demonstration and you actually promised me something, right after your words about magic and stuff. I would enjoy seeing your fire, especially not limited by the spiritual ways of firebending"

"As you wish." He raised his opened palm, as if holding something, and with a few sparks and crackles a small fireball with a size of an orange appeared, hovering a few centimeters above his hand. "Fireball is, well, one of the most simple and quintessential fire spells. Mastery of this spell gives you many possibilities, as its parameters such as size (with a palm moved forward fireball rapidly increased in size up to half of a meter in diameter), speed, flight distance or size for explosion can be altered." Quick movement of the hand sent fireball up, where, a few seconds later, he exploded with loud noise.

Azula looked at this rather skeptically. "It's ok I guess. I mean you surely can apply for joining our army as a firebender, and even be more powerful than most of the mediocrities there, but I still see nothing different from firebending."

"That's actually is a valid point, as most of the firebending techniques can be emulated and it's the result which matters, not the means. One of the main differences, regarding the fireballs, is the fact that I can launch them for hours, and in barrages in case of little ones. Some other techniques may be simply unnoticeable for most of the observers, until you simply ignore some nasty effects." He spread his hands on the sides, and with a few gestures some kind of a heat haze became visible around him. "Some others may be made visible or not, as you desire. Fire shield belongs to this category, it allows you to negate most of the standard fire-based attacks and even receive a bit of a energy from them." With these words he simply threw another fireball right down, and this time the explosion was slightly weaker, and did not cause any noticeable harm. "To mitigate something more physical in nature, like rocks, arrows or a shockwave, I have some other defenses, which, while not being tied with fire, may still be useful to you"

"This is much more interesting." Azula said smirking. "I surely wonder why wasn't it possible to present something like that at least a few months earlier, as it would change everything with much less effort, but I guess there were some serious reasons present. So, how exactly should these "techniques" be performed?"

"I would like to start with explaining basics with all necessary details, and as dinner should be ready right now, I think it would be a good idea to combine both"

Only by the mention of food Azula recognized how hungry she was. Well, at least her ability to concentrate on training, ignoring all the distractions, was still present. "I don't see why not. Food should be really horrible for it to be otherwise."

"It may be only decent, but it was the best option in our case." Replied the man, while moving to open the entrance.

Dinner was based on fire nation army rations, but the addition of spices and some other treatment made the dried meat much more presentable. Or she just was really hungry. Or both..

While she was eating, Kelmar read a rather long and boring lecture about magical energy, he referred as "mana", and her mind, trained with similar experience, singled out the essential details, arranging them like everything she considered important.

"… meditation is one of the most efficient ways to regain mana, but obviously it's unavailable in combat… unlike chi, some substantial amount of mana can be stored for later use in specially prepared items... measuring initial mana capacity is one of the simplest ways to determine anyone's potential. While theoretically anyone can use it, some need decades of hard training to even begin the actual practice and others are perfectly capable right from their first years in life… hampering mana flow for your opponent is mostly useless for any beginner as any conflict at this level is usually resolved quickly, but becomes a viable tactic for any prolonged fight…"

And many others followed. There was almost no weirdness here anymore, as progress was one of the most pursued things for the fire nation, and if even something like firebending can be fully explained with logical terms, numbers and theorems, rather then "spirit of fire within yourself" or "traditions of the old generations", it labeled that they were on the right way. And even if anyone else would prefer the darkness of ignorance and "the ways of old" not even the avatar himself would help them to hide from the light, only to delay the inevitable... Source of all this knowledge have also become important. While it could be just another crazed genius, like that mechanist from an air temple, other possibilities also should be considered. It may not be among the top priorities right now, as any direct questioning would be likely too bold and no other source was present. Better sometimes later, when her dependence from this Kel-guy would be within acceptable limits. She should avoid irreplaceable allies in the future after all, as it mostly complicated things and tend to backfire.

"Do you have any questions, your highness?" He asked right after the most boring part of this "lecture".

She surely had many questions, but most of them required more appropriate moment. "I surely do. Theory may be necessary, but it is only a first step. What about some actual practice?"

"As you wish." He put some strange metallic rod, he previously used as a pointer of sorts during his explanations, on a table in front of her. "That is one of the transmogrify-type rods. You will need it for one of the relatively easy exercises. First, you have to channel some portion of your chi into this rod. If for some reason doing it directly would be hard, you may try to simply heat it up a bit. Second, after two or more minutes you should channel the energy back from the rod to your body, focusing on the sensations during the process. If you fail to do so within fifteen minutes you should go back to the first step. Any questions?"

"You said that chi cannot be stored outside my body, so do we have a contradiction here? Or, perhaps, there is some other meaning to this exercise?" asked Azula.

"It is good, that you have remembered this important detail. The rod is needed here to transform your chi into mana, which you would be able to gather. The main idea is not about quantify, which would be really small and not about forcing this with a sheer amount of chi, but about the possibility itself. When this task would be trivial, we will move to the third and final step – to gather the mana without the rod during meditation. Emulation of anything you felt during the previous step should help you. Surely it sounds and may even look relatively simple, but it may take a few days or even a week to succeed." He made a little pause, as if waiting for any questions, and then continued. "Once you would be able to freely gather mana, and for you it must come really quickly after the initial success, I would be able to teach you the actual fire-based techniques, or spells, as they are usually called."

"We will see, how long it will take in my case" said Azula with confidence "Is a place where you are important for the exercise?"

"In our case, as long as it is comfortable and there is no distractions, it simply doesn't matter." He answered.

"Good" said Azula, standing up and going to the exit "I would be outside and will ask you in case I will need anything, so do not distract me unless something major happens, which I highly doubt."

"As you wish" He replied blankly.

And another series of firebolts hit the wall, dispersing. Zuko could have been satisfied with his firebending now, but these days it was among his least concerns. He had no need to hold on the idea of impressing his father anymore, and his relationship with newfound friends and his fiancée had little to do with his bending nowadays. And, oh great Agni, he really wanted to be able to solve his problems by throwing fire at them. Especially something like unemployment or the possible treachery among the army. During his exile he truly believed that by restoring his honor and birthright he would made his life more simple and clear, but now he often wondered if the things were much simpler and clear back then. Especially during all these endless and mostly useless meetings with generals, ministers and other nobles and bureaucrats, each of whom had his own agenda, even if sometimes better hidden and was relentless in pursuing it. Luckily he could address his uncle or some other trustworthy White Lotus members for some advice or viable information, otherwise it would be almost unbearable.

So in the end working out at the Agni Kai arena quickly became one of his surest ways for relaxation. After all, due to the status of the place, many of the most annoying people were simply unable to enter this place. Well, unless an actual Agni Kai will happen, but as intrigues and diplomacy were dominant these days it never happened since that fateful day..

He performed a few breathing exercises and prepared to continue his workout, when a guard run into the ring of the arena, screaming "Firelord! Dire news!". He recognized the man, which was one of the White Lotus members, albeit a new one, and specially instructed to do not disturb Firelord with lesser problems as well.

"So, what exactly happened this time?" Zuko asked the man, when he approached.

"Pri.. Former princess Azula escaped the Asylum!" Answered the man, while trying to catch his breath.

"And how exactly does it happen?" This shouldn't be real, Zuko thought for a few seconds, must be some kind of a stupid mistake, or someone's move to cover his schemes…

"About 40 hours ago unknown firebender of great power breached into the building with a few men on his side. It happened so suddenly, that guards were unable to do anything. Among those who tried, four died from the burns.."

"And WHY exactly" interrupted him Zuko feeling his anger building up inside "Do I learn about it ONLY 40 hours later?"

"All messenger hawks have died or were lost during the great fire which began during the fight. The only transport balloon was fully destroyed as well, and they simply had to evacuate the rest of the patients and help those who needed it." Answered the guard quickly "And when they sent a messenger towards the nearest settlement, he doesn't return, and nothing was heard from him anymore.."

It surely were dire news, and for a moment Zuko felt himself helpless like during his chase of the avatar. Who was the culprit behind it? How will these news affect the relationship and the negotiations with the Earth Kingdom? Could it be some scheme of his father or Azula's own design? These and many other questions added tenfold to his burden. But he was a Firelord now! And it was his duty, to solve this incident, as no one else will do it for him. And those, who dared to oppose him will feel the wrath of the true Firelord!

… but he wasn't, and even more simply couldn't afford any recklessness right now, as the stackes were simply to high. He could freely risk his own life, but not the peace, which was so hard to achieve.. As the time for immediate response was already lost, he needed a critical view before any moves of his own and someone who could be trusted. And while his friends were absent like his fiancée, they weren't his only hope.

He turned to the guard, was his name Li or something alike? "I need you to inform my uncle and any other Lotus members, that they are needed for an extremely urgent conversation in my rooms within a hour. No one else should learn about what happened. We may not be able to hold the secrecy for a long, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try. Am I understood?"

"Yes, lord. On my way" The guard run for the doors.

Staying alone, Zuko sighed. "And here I thought, that I had problems. Fate surely has a sense for black humor"


	3. Chapter 3

It was calm in the room, and for quite some time the silence was broken only by the sounds of pouring tea, or the cups putted back on the table. Being one of the Firelord's private chambers, room for tea ceremonies was almost never used for its direct purpose during Ozzai's reign. It was still a good place to meet someone trustworthy, like a spy for example, bur barely anything else. But now it was decided by Zuko, that there is no reason not to combine both purposes, with a different approach towards trustworthy though.

After a few knocks the door opened and an aged man entered, bowing towards Zuko. "I have to apology for my late arrival, but I wasn't near the palace when I got the message, and it took me a while to get here and pass all the new security checks."

After a slight nod of the Firelord and a gesture towards an empty place in between of Iroh and two other White Lotus members he quickly took the seat, bowing once again.

"There is no need for such formalities between us, my friend." Said Iroh amiably. "Wen is one of the best crime investigators amongst our nation and a lotus member for 15 years."

"I am just a mere citizen, doing his job properly." Answered Wen.

"Anyway, as anyone called for is present we may finally begin" said Zuko, putting his empty cup on a table. "Solving this incident is vital for the peace and order in our nation as we simply cannot allow our past to interfere with our future. However, the time for an immediate response is already lost and any rushed movements would only complicate things, without solving anything. This is why we badly need reliable information before we do any major action. I, as a few, understand it, as going with temper and impulses have complicated most of my life. Wen, as you have my uncle recommendations, I have no doubt in your abilities, so the main task would be up to you. We have many questions, but two of them are the most important: who is main culprit and where is a current location of my sister. Anyone beyond this should be stopped, and in her state of mind Azula is dangerous for everyone around and herself as well." He made a short pause to fill his cup and make a few more sips. "Officer Wujing will accompany you, commanding ten of royal guards. After all, it was an attack on the building guarded by our military, and trying to stay out of this would rise even more questions. Royal firefly is the first flying ship built mostly for speed, so you should take it to arrive at the place tomorrow. And I would like to hear any further suggestions, if you have any."

"First, I have to mention that I am really proud to see, that you are no more controlled by your temper, Zuko" said Iroh. "Regarding our course of actions I believe, that we should investigate any plans of the most dangerous supporters for Azula's cause. It saddens me, that someone still considers her as a worthy leader, or likely a useful tool for his own ambitions, but even her presence as a symbol may endanger our work. Even if we won't find the culprit directly, any suspicious contacts or plan changes may give us a clue."

"Sounds right." Said Zuko "If there are no further suggestions, we should begin with these. And if there would be any other useful ideas or any information which can be vital, I wish to hear it as quickly as possible. "

Azula stood in the yard of the palace, preparing herself for bending performance. She would triumph over her brother pitiful attempts anyway, but she have to try her best to impress her father, otherwise it would be a mere waste of time. So, as always, it begins with a parody of firebending by Zuzu..

But surprisingly Zuko has a good beginning this time. She wonders, if his sheer stubbornness has brought some results, but then... Not just basics, even perfectly executed, anymore. Arcs of fire from the kicks in all directions, moves with blades of fire, firebreathing, and in the end, with a movements too familiar, electrical charges are forming in his hands… What is going here? How is this even possible?!

With a loud crackle lighting goes in the sky. Not a single hair off..

"Good" says Ozzai, while Zuko bows and takes a place at his father's right. "Now you. That would be your last chance. Try to not disappoint me again."

She is sweating even before the actual exercises. What? What is this all about?! She was always as perfect as possible, it simply can't be! But there is no other way, she will prove once again that she is rightfully called a firebending prodigy and everything will be right again! Stance, deep breath and … Nothing happens. No flames, blue or not. Just nothing.

"Waste of time" Ozzai says coldly. "But it was expected. While you are my rightful heir, it will be better to simply forget about your sister existence."

How? Anger is building up inside her, and she tries to perform a movement, which never failed her before, but once again futile. Suddenly, something even stranger happens. She feels the burning heat around… She is on fire! It is burning her from within, pouring from the burns all over her body. She falls to the ground, screaming in pain, but Ozzai and Zuko are merely watching her dyeing right before their eyes.

"Fitting end for a failure." Says her father to Zuko. "Move on, we have more important things to do."

And in her last moments she saw them simply turning around and walking away…

Flinching, she woke up. Just great, nightmares are back again. And why was she so sure, that she was finally free from them? It is just foolish to expect anything good in life to last, after all. And sure, all the sweat is real. Even better, now she needs a bath, or at least to wash her face, before going back to sleep…

Sighing, she slowly stood up and put her bathrobe on. Surely she did not want to be seen like this, but with her recent luck it seemed unlikely. Not that it really mattered, but still was highly unpleasant. She moved the furs away, stepping into the living room. Dim light of the room illuminated Kel, who was doing something she used to refer as "science stuff" with a few filled bottles and some kind of a small heater on a table. Should she really be surprised? While she decided, should she simply ignore him for now, or which words were better in the situation, he started the conversation first.

"Welcome back to the material world, princess. How can I help you?"

"Why do you even think, that I even need you help now? It's not like you are one of the servants, which are simply obliged to ask this question every time." Said Azula, slightly annoyed.

"I may not be your servant, but your screams during sleep and overall condition imply, that I have to propose my help and perhaps some sleeping pills as well." He answered, turning the heater off, and turning all his attention towards Azula.

"And what exactly do you mean under "my overall condition"? Something related to me interrupting you sleep, work or something else?" asked Azula coldly.

"My sleeping cycle is slightly different and it's definitely not the point." he answered "I have read through the journals, which I took from your prison and simply cannot ignore their contents."

"Oh, so you are thinking, like these freaks, that I am a complete nut or should forget everything in my past to begin my live from the blank page? Do you really want to step on this ground?" asked Azula with a slight threat in her question.

He sighed "I obviously do not want, but simply have to, as your wellbeing will be more important than my life in the near future. And while I may not be an expert, I wonder, where did your brother found all these wave-shocked psychologists with their moronic ideas of comparing your condition with a supposed norm of a random commoner. It surely makes as little sense, as simply trying to replace you with a totally another woman, and calling it help or healing. But still, prolonged hallucinations and nightmares of such magnitude are a clear threat and should be addressed if we want to achieve any sort of success in our plans."

"So, what will be your diagnosis then?" asked Azula with little interest "Especially regarding the possible treatment, slightly different from those I already had."

"In my culture it is normal to compare people with weapons, regarding the purpose in life and some other things. I hope it is not offensive to you, that I will use this analogy for our case?"

"At least it is much better, than being compared with a commoner" smirked Azula "Continue to the end please, I may get something interesting out of it, at least."

"Well, as you may know, when you are forging a blade, it is very important to not burn the metal too much. Otherwise it becomes harder, but also much more fragile, due to the inability to bend in any way. So if you strike something hard with it, or just at the wrong angle, it will more likely break or even shatter. Luckily, people are much more complex than a mere blade, but the analogy still works. Being determined surely helps, and strong negative emotion sometimes too, but it leaves you much more vulnerable, and if you are not in full control of your emotions, their backfire may be unavoidable." He made a little pause, as if waiting for any reaction or questions and then continued "Hallucinations and nightmares are mostly a product of your subconscious and some of the emotions as well, so while they can be temporally blocked by taking a specific medicine, it will only remove some consequences, not their cause. And being dependant on such medicine means only a temporary solution, with some nasty aftereffects too. I had similar problems myself, and seen other people suffering from it, but I can only give you one tip, based on this experience: Even if you know, that the most important thing in your life can be achieved only by specifically determined approach, it doesn't mean that you have to treat everything else in life the same way. Otherwise your life will only become harder with each day passing, and you are much more likely to crumble under this weight, than reach the end of your way. And in the nearly impossible case of your success, everything may be even worse…" He coughed a few times, then showed her one of the bottles. "These are decent sleeping pills. Each one is good for seven to eight hours of dreamless sleep, and if you limit yourself for the contents of a single bottle, there would be no noticeable consequences. You will fall asleep within five minutes of taking one."

After a few moments of silence Azula sighed and moved towards the table. "I guess now I have something else to think about during the meditation, and I do see, that sleeping pills can be useful to me, but still.." Now she stood right in front of him and continued while looking directly into his eyes, which were barely visible in a dim light. "You should be more careful from now on, and do not forget your actual place, as I would hate to lose someone useful. If I would need a specific advice or help in trivial matters I would ask for it. Am I clear? "

"Yes, princess, as you wish" He answered with a bow.


End file.
